From her first paragraph it is clear that the major reason for this switch is on the issue of the EU. She wrote:

“Once in a generation there is a pivotal moment in a country’s history. I believe we have reached that moment. It is time to decide whether we remain in the EU. The only party I trust to offer us that choice is UKIP.”

In the article, she said she was renouncing her membership of Ed Miliband’s party, however, she made clear that her decision was not one against Ed Miliband, saying that:

“I should be clear that this is not a swipe at Ed Miliband. He is a principled leader for whom I have great respect. His view is that a referendum is not the right step for our country. I just see it differently. I have to follow my conscience.”

Overall, UKIP does gain a lot of its support from former Tory voters, but the party has seen many Labour voters switch to Nigel Farage’s party. YouGov’s latest poll, for the Sun, suggests that 17% of those voting for UKIP are former Conservative voters, but it also indicates that 1 in 10 former Labour voters are now intending to vote for Nigel Farage’s party in May.

Many will call UKIP a party of ex-Tories, but Yeo’s support for them, whilst she is not joining them, highlights their appeal to others.

UKIP are still continuing to do well, just over two months until the general election. The best they can hope for is that they can keep up their support and ride on their wave of momentum in the lead up to May.

Richard Wood

Richard Wood is a student at the University Of Aberdeen, Scotland, although originally from Edinburgh. He is the Opine editor for the University Of Aberdeen’s student newspaper: The Gaudie, and is particularly interested in constitutional issues such as the Scottish independence referendum and electoral systems.